Chapter 94 — Umbra Takes Its First Contract
The contract was written on iron-thread paper.
Not metaphorical iron.
Actual iron fibers, beaten thin, alchemically softened, then bound with mana-reactive ink that darkened when intent aligned.
Three signatures were required.
One already glowed.
Umbra's.
---
The meeting took place in a neutral hall two districts from the river—old stone, cracked pillars, no banners. A place used when people didn't want witnesses but still wanted rules.
Five people sat at the table.
Four of them were nervous.
The fifth was trying not to show it.
"This is insane," the man in merchant blue snapped, slamming his palm down. "You're telling me you want to deploy shadows as mercenaries? Against real threats?"
Across from him, a woman in travel leathers leaned back, boots on the table.
"I'm telling you," she said calmly, "that my caravan lost seventeen guards last month to the Red Wake. And none of the guild companies will touch the route."
A third voice cut in, sharper.
"Because it's cursed."
Everyone turned.
The speaker was older, beard braided with bone clasps—a former battlefield priest turned independent contractor.
"The Red Wake doesn't just kill you," he continued. "Their blessings rot morale. Men freeze. Commands fail. You send ordinary mercenaries there, you'll be paying for corpses."
The merchant scoffed. "Exactly my point."
At the head of the table, the Umbra representative finally spoke.
Jex.
He wore no armor. No insignia. Only a plain ring on his finger—black, matte, swallowing light.
"You're not hiring ordinary mercenaries," Jex said evenly. "You're hiring Umbra."
Silence settled.
The woman in leathers studied him. "You're young."
Jex didn't flinch. "So is the future."
The merchant snorted. "Cute. Where's Kairo?"
Jex smiled faintly.
"You don't negotiate with architects," he said. "You negotiate with structures."
---
Far above the city, on a tower that technically did not exist on any map, Kairo watched through layered perception.
CIEL's interface hovered transparently in his vision.
[Contract Review: Escort & Route Suppression] [Threat Classification: Mixed — cult-aligned mercenary group] [Enemy Blessings: Fear-based, morale corrosion, blood-triggered amplification]
"Red Wake," Kairo murmured. "They escalate quickly."
[Correct.] [They harvest panic to strengthen "Crimson Chorus".]
CIEL displayed the data.
"Crimson Chorus"
Effect:
– Converts fear, hesitation, and retreat into raw combat amplification
– The more an enemy breaks, the stronger the bearer becomes
– Weak against entities without emotional fluctuation
Kairo's eyes flicked to the shadow formation behind him.
"They're a good test," he said softly.
The shadows did not respond.
They were not awaiting orders.
They were ready.
---
Back in the hall, the priest leaned forward.
"You're offering protection for how long?" he asked.
"Permanent route security," Jex replied. "Umbra doesn't do temporary fixes."
"And the price?"
Jex slid the paper forward.
The merchant's eyes widened.
"That's— that's lower than guild rates."
"Yes," Jex agreed. "Because Umbra doesn't price risk. It prices certainty."
The woman in leathers frowned. "What's the catch?"
Jex tapped the contract once.
"Payment in Umbra Marks. Partial advance. Full settlement upon completion."
The merchant hesitated. "And if your mercenaries fail?"
Jex met his gaze.
"Then Umbra pays restitution," he said calmly. "In Marks. At penalty rate."
The priest exhaled slowly.
"That's… confidence."
"No," Jex corrected. "That's structure."
A long pause.
Then the woman reached forward and signed.
"I'm tired of burying people," she said simply.
The priest followed.
Finally, the merchant cursed under his breath and pressed his seal.
The contract flared.
CIEL confirmed.
[First Umbra Mercenary Contract: Active.]
---
The Red Wake struck at dawn.
They always did.
Fog rolled low across the trade road, tinged faintly red—not illusion, but blood-altered moisture.
A caravan of twelve wagons waited at the choke point, guards clustered tight, hands trembling around weapons.
"Where are they?" one guard whispered. "Where's Umbra?"
"I don't like this," another muttered. "I don't feel anything."
That was the first sign.
The second came when the fog split.
Figures stepped through.
Not charging.
Not sneaking.
Walking.
Humanoid silhouettes, thirty of them, moving in synchronized cadence.
No faces.
No armor.
Just black forms with edges too sharp to be natural.
One of the Red Wake cultists laughed nervously from the treeline.
"Scare tactics," he called out. "Break them!"
"Crimson Chorus" ignited.
The cultists surged forward, screaming, fear pouring outward like heat.
And nothing happened.
The shadows did not react.
Their emotional output was zero.
CIEL observed from Kairo's perspective.
[Enemy amplification failing.] [Cause: Emotional null field.]
Kairo smiled faintly.
"Proceed," he said.
---
The first clash was silent.
A cultist swung an axe charged with "Blood Howl"—a blessing that converted pain into shockwaves.
The shadow stepped inside the swing.
Its arm moved.
Not fast.
Precise.
The axe shattered at the haft.
The cultist froze, eyes wide.
"What—"
The shadow's hand pressed lightly against his chest.
"Contract Severance" activated.
Effect:
– Disrupts blessing cohesion tied to hostile contracts
– Temporarily nullifies external amplification effects
– Causes backlash proportional to blessing dependency
The cultist screamed as the Crimson Chorus collapsed inward.
He dropped, convulsing.
Another cultist tried to flee.
A shadow appeared in front of him.
Not teleportation.
Route prediction.
The shadow struck once.
Neck. Clean.
The body fell.
The caravan guards stared in stunned silence.
"They're not even shouting," one whispered.
"They're not even trying," another breathed.
The Red Wake panicked.
And that sealed their fate.
Fear surged—feeding nothing.
The shadows advanced.
One cult lieutenant roared, activating "Red Baptism".
Effect:
– Sacrifices lifespan to boost all physical attributes
– Grants temporary immunity to pain and fear
He charged, body swelling with power.
A shadow met him head-on.
No evasion.
No flourish.
The shadow allowed the blow to land.
Its torso dented.
Then it grabbed the lieutenant's arm and twisted.
The blessing cracked.
CIEL flagged.
[Structural mismatch.] [Enemy blessing incompatible with Umbra shadow matrix.]
The lieutenant's arm tore free.
The shadow crushed his skull with its other hand.
Silence followed.
Not a battle.
An execution.
---
By the time the fog lifted, the road was clear.
Bodies lay scattered.
None of the caravan guards were injured.
One of them finally found his voice.
"…are they human?"
The shadows turned in unison.
One stepped forward.
Its voice was calm, genderless, precise.
"Umbra Mercenaries," it said. "Route secured."
Then they dispersed—melting back into shadow, leaving only bloodless ground behind.
---
The report reached the city before noon.
Witness accounts contradicted each other wildly.
"They walked through blades."
"They ignored fear magic."
"They killed without rage."
"They spoke contracts like law."
Guild halls erupted into argument.
Noble councils demanded clarification.
Hunters went quiet.
And somewhere far above the world, something else observed.
A construct of light and orbiting sigils adjusted its focus.
"This iteration is different," it noted.
"It employs abstraction instead of force."
Another presence responded.
"Is it dangerous?"
A pause.
"…Potentially."
---
That evening, Jex returned to the tower.
"The contract is complete," he reported. "No losses. Full payment transferred."
CIEL confirmed.
[Umbra Mercenary Reputation: Established.] [Market reaction: Escalating demand.]
Kairo looked out over the city.
"How many requests?" he asked.
[Seventeen pending.] [Five involve dungeon suppression.] [Three involve noble feuds.] [Two are… anomalous.]
Kairo raised an eyebrow. "Anomalous how?"
CIEL hesitated.
[Off-world residue detected.]
Kairo smiled.
"Good," he said softly. "Let's not get bored."
Behind him, the shadows reassembled.
Umbra had taken its first contract.
And the world had learned something new.
Gold bought swords.
Faith bought loyalty.
Fear bought monsters.
But Umbra—
Umbra bought outcomes.
---